Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that he is dropping his 2024 presidential bid in the Democratic Party and will now run as an independent.
“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate,” the 69-year-old told a crowd of supporters in Philadelphia.
Kennedy suggested that the political divisions in the U.S. were “deliberately orchestrated” and declared himself as the solution for people who are “fed up with being fooled and [are] ready to take back power.”
The announcement comes after Kennedy was unsuccessful in forcing the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden into holding debates.
A CNN analysis said that the last time a third party candidate had as much support as Kennedy was when Ross Perot ran in the 1996 cycle.
The report said Kennedy’s independent run likely would hurt Republicans more than Democrats in a general election as his favorable numbers are higher among Republicans than Democrats.
“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat,” said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled.”
“American families deserve commonsense leadership that will return America’s energy independence, stop Bidenflation, secure our border, and get our country back on track,” she added, “which is why our Republican nominee will be the next President of the United States.”
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